Was just looking at this older thread. I've got a vintage photo a friend posted elsewhere on the net last month to post if I can find it. I got excited because it showed a hunter using his Stutzen Mannlicher-Schoenauer carbine to shoot cape buffalo. Now I got excited because I thought it was a 6.5mm and remembered 'fondly' the reaction from some on NE when I posted a friend was going to use his 6.5 M-S on water buffalo. It turned out the rifle was chambered for 9.5x57, the .375 diameter of the 57 mm case. Very buffalo capabale.

The .318 Westley Richards was considered a good cape buffalo killer, which is a .330 on a .30-06 sized case more or less. The 8x60S or a slightly lengthened 57 mm case with a .323 calibre bullet was a big buffalo killer. A lot of landowners and farmers used such rifles, could not afford a fancy .416 Rigby etc etc.

Bell reserved his .275 Rigby (7x57) for elephant and used his .256 (6.5x54) for buffalo.

I always think the main reason there is minimum calibres/cartridges for dangerous game is due to a mixed number of factors:
- adds to the mystique of dangerous game and Africa;
- authorities consider deaths of clients to be negative for industry sales (actually wrong, a clients death adds to sales, but not for the particular outfitter);
- probably to compensate for the bad shooting and aiming akills of the majority of clients.

BUT it is true, as experienced people will tell you, who have used marginal or minor calibres a lot, when the shit hits the fan, having a stopper sized rifle is a big bonus, to stay alive, confidence building, and if shot well very effective.

Funny, I would lack some confidence hunting elephant with a 9.3x74R, never done it. Would fell better with a .375 H&H with the right bullets. The elephant I shot would have died just as quickly with a .375 300 gr FMJ as with the .450 480 gr FMJ. Both were frontal brain shots. But when you can see an elephant waiting behind a tree to ambush you as soon as you come around it at 8 yards, a .450 is confidence building. Actually for the above 8 yard shot, a .600 NE would be the best confidence builder!